It is difficult to talk about establishing a religious authority for Iraq’s Sunnis, despite the numerous attempts made in this regard since 2003. The most recent attempt came following the outbreak of protests in major Sunni cities at the end of last year, where Sheikh Abdul Malik al-Saadi emerged as an authority for the Sunni protesters.

Yet, months later, some of these protesters refused to obey him given that he is opposed to the establishment of a Sunni federal region in Iraq.

The Association of Muslim Scholars — formed in 2003 and chaired by Harith Sulayman al-Dhari — seemed at one point a prelude to the emergence of a Sunni religious authority. Yet, the association witnessed a setback when disagreements erupted regarding a fatwa issued by Dhari calling for a boycott of the 2005 elections. Many Sunni segments accused Dhari of excluding Sunnis from establishing the Iraqi state after the American occupation, while Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s first government accused him of orchestrating violent acts. Dhari ended up leaving Iraq in 2006.

There are numerous religious, philosophical and historical reasons preventing the emergence of an agreed-upon Sunni authority, similar to the traditional Shiite authorities. However, at the beginning of the year, it seemed that Saadi’s chances of receiving unanimous Sunni support were great. Saadi’s appearance in a wheelchair on Dec. 30, 2012, earned him significant popularity among popular Sunni circles. Moreover, the quiet nature of his speech against sectarianism made him more popular, even among Shiites.